For Your Dining Pleasure

September 15, 2011

Somewhere along the way to becoming an adult (I AM an adult! I AM!), I discovered that I actually liked to cook. It’s a creative outlet that I never really appreciated or embraced when I was younger. I fully admit that I don’t always know how to cook the things I set out to cook, but I like the challenge and the chance to play with tastes and textures. I also really like working with fresh ingredients — the fresher the better. It’s not always possible, but anything I can do to not just reheat food makes me happy.

Of course, while I like to cook, I don’t often have a lot of time to cook. So, I try to make sure that the recipes I select are quick and don’t include a ton of ingredients or complicated steps. I’m sure I’m not the only one who struggles with this, so I thought I’d start to share some of the recipes I have found along the way to becoming a semi-competent cook.

The first recipe is one I like because it’s so flexible. You can add more and different vegetables or top it with grilled or baked meat. At different times, I’ve added things like bell peppers, asparagus, steak, chicken and salmon and it’s always been filling and tasty. Even better, I make the entire thing in one pot, so there’s less to clean up when I’m done.

Tomato & Parmesan Pasta

Serving size: 1 (I don’t like reheating pasta, so I only make enough for whoever will be eating)

Ingredients:

1 serving of a whole wheat pasta

1 teaspoon olive oil

Minced garlic — to taste

Chopped basil — to taste

Grape tomatoes — as many as you want

Shredded parmesan — I generally use 25 grams, but the serving size of some parmesan is 1/4 cup, which is 28 g; use whatever you’re comfortable with

Cook the pasta according to package. Drain. While pasta is in colander, add oil, garlic and basil to the bottom of the pot you used to cook the pasta. Stir the mixture over low heat until the basil is wilted and the garlic is heated. Add the tomatoes and allow to heat for about a minute. Drop in the pasta and toss with the oil and other ingredients. Add a small amount of the cheese and allow to melt slightly as you stir. Continue to add small amounts until all but about 5 g of the cheese remains. Place the pasta mixture in a bowl and top with remaining cheese. Serve immediately.